Ankrum Enters Martinsville on Cusp of First Final 4 Berth
Venue: Martinsville Speedway
Event: Slim Jim 200
Date: Friday, October 24th
Location: Ridgeway, VA
Track Description: 0.526 – mile short track
Distance: 200 laps, 105.2 miles (6:00 p.m. ET, FS1, SiriusXM)
Last Chance … Tyler Ankrum, driver of the No. 18 LIUNA Chevrolet Silverado RST heads to Martinsville Speedway for the second time this season, looking to lock himself in for a shot at the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) Championship title. The 24-year-old driver is no stranger to the 0.526-mile short track as this will be his 11th NCTS career start at “The Paperclip”. Ankrum has earned two top-five and four top-10 efforts within those 10 previous starts with a best of second coming earlier this Spring in 2025. The San Bernardino, Calif. native looks to better that finish and earn his first win at Martinsville Friday night, along with a spot in the final four.
Playoff Rebound … The young driver has overcome a large amount of adversity throughout his 2025 NCTS Playoff journey. From wrecks to bad luck blues, Ankrum has always prevailed at the end of each race to put him in the best position he can to keep moving forward. Crew chief Mark Hillman and the No. 18 team have made the top calls and played the right strategy to push him higher and higher on the points leader board, making a big splash at the Charlotte Roval. Gaining every valuable point they could, Ankrum went from fifth to second in the NCTS playoff point standings after the Roval. Due to another hot points day, the young driver now sits third in points after last week’s run at Talladega without a scratch as he heads into the final race of the Round of 8, in hopes to clinch his spot in the NCTS championship field.
Spoiler Highlights … Tyler Ankrum and the No. 18 team are excited to welcome aboard LIUNA’s local contractor Kirlia Construction Services (KCS) to adorn the left side spoiler of the No. 18 Chevrolet for the Friday night event. KCS is a Mid-Atlantic-based construction and workforce development firm that brings quality and experience to each project. They specialize in delivering certified and trained personnel for building, heavy civil, pipeline, environmental, and renewable-energy work. Through initiatives like the KCS Trades Academy and other hands-on training programs, they are actively developing a pipeline of skilled, job-ready professionals equipped to meet the growing demands of the construction industry. Their mission is to drive positive business expansion by limiting the risks associated with training, staffing, managing, and executing projects.
Tune In …Television coverage on the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event will begin Friday afternoon with qualifying starting at 2:05 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2, followed by green flag at 6:00 p.m. ET on FS1 for the Slim Jim 200. Stay connected with the No. 18 LIUNA team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Tyler Ankrum Quote:
“This is it. This is our last chance to lock ourselves into Phoenix. This No. 18 group has worked so hard all year long and I cannot thank everyone at MHR, LIUNA, Ullico and all who have helped this team get this far this season. Martinsville is going to be tough as everyone is fighting for those final spots but I am super confident that we will be able to fight till the end and stay in contention for a spot in the final four to battle at Phoenix.”